Drew Snider wears many hats.
A Seattle native, Snider helped start the lacrosse program at his alma mater, O’Dea High School, and in May led the Fighting Irish to their second straight state title.
A gold medalist with the U.S. national team in 2018, Snider also co-founded Cityside Lax and is dedicated to spreading his passion and knowledge for the sport.
And oh, yeah, Snider also was a key contributor on the Whipsnakes, who won the inaugural Premier Lacrosse League championship in September (see page 34).
“My mindset now is to keep improving,” Snider said before training camp in May. “I am an older guy in the league at this point. I have to plant my stick in the ground and hold my ground.”
“You have to understand how to respect the ground and make the ground your friend and not your enemy,” said Tim Manson, Snider’s trainer. “I teach the athlete how to respect the ground, because most of our injuries occur when we stop, land, change direction and accelerate.”
Manson doles out koans every other sentence like, “Wisdom is being smart after the culmination of struggle,” and, “If you could go back in time and do it all over again, all you’ll do is make different mistakes.” His philosophy when it comes to working out emphasizes focusing on one’s weaknesses to promote “functional movement,” which athletes build through core strength, joint stabilization and flexibility.
“Guys like Drew and the people that think like him are going to drive the sport to the next level,” Manson said. “It's going to be fun to watch.”
While the routines Manson creates constantly change, we asked him for a few exercises he incorporates into the 31-year-old midfielder’s regimen to help him get in the best shape of his life.
Medicine Ball Split Squat Jump Pass
Grab a medicine ball and a partner. This helps with posture and positioning during ground deceleration.
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Start in an upright but athletic stance, with feet shoulder-width apart.
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Your partner chest-passes you the medicine ball.
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As you receive the medicine ball at your chest, descend into a split squat, bending one knee behind you.
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Jump up from your split squat and chest-pass the medicine ball back to your partner in one motion.
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Resume ready position and alternate legs with each exchange.
Seated Barbell Rotating Shoulder Press
Snider uses this exercise to develop core strength and shoulder mobility.
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Sit on the ground with your legs out in front of you and a straight back.
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Hold the barbell off to one side, parallel with your legs.
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Lift and rotate the barbell at the same time so that it’s perpendicular to your body when it reaches your chest.
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Raise the bar overhead, bring it back down on your opposite side and repeat.
ViPR Stabilized Box Crossover Shuffle Cut
It looks like just hollow rubber, but the ViPR has become a popular tool in loaded movement training. The weighted tube can be lifted, flipped, rolled, tilted and rotated in different directions that mimic movement patterns to get your muscles working in concert with one another. This particular workout incorporates a low box and reinforces core stabilization to mobilize the hips during loaded crossover cuts.
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Hold the ViPR with two hands in front of your body.
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Start on one side of the low box.
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Use a lateral crossover step to get onto the box and to dismount on the opposite side.
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Alternate front and back feet. Repeat.